Love's Guide to the Church Bells of the City of London

All Hallows-by-the-Tower, Great Tower Street

A chime of 18 bells plus 2 disused bells
Tenor: 41-3-0 in C.
Grid Ref: TQ333806
Rung from: Upstairs Ringing Room
Frame: 1948 John Taylor & Co, metal frame
Diocese: London
Building Listed Grade: I. Click for Heritage details.
Peals rung at the tower

Details of the Bells

	Bell	Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Note	Date	Founder	Retuned
ꓕ	1	1-3-17	21"	G	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	Sharp 2	2-0-22	22"	F♯	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	2	2-1-18	23"	F	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	3	2-1-24	24"	E	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	Flat 3	3-0-18	26"	E♭	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	4	3-3-14	27"	D	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	Sharp 5	4-1-21	28"	C♯	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	5	4-3-24	30"	C	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	6	5-3-25	32"	B	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	Flat 6	6-3-23	33"	B♭	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	7	8-0-2	35"	A	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	Flat 7	9-2-2	37"	A♭	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	8	11-1-18	39"	G	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	Sharp 9	13-3-16	42"	F♯	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	9	16-0-20	44½"	F	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	10	19-0-4	46"	E	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	11	27-2-19	53"	D	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
ꓕ	Bass	41-3-0	60"	C	1947	John Taylor & Co., Loughborough	Never
҈	Disused 2	½ cwt approx.	14"		1950	Unknown	Never
	Disused 1	1 cwt approx.	16⁹⁄₁₆"		1650	Unknown	Never

ꓕ - Hung dead
҈ - Unhung

Prior to 1940

Bell	Weight	Diameter	Note	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
Treble (of 8)	4½ cwt approx.	28¾"	E	1813	Thomas Mears II	Never	Destroyed 1940
2nd (of 8)	5¼ cwt approx.	30½"	D♯	1813	Thomas Mears II	Never	Destroyed 1940
3rd (of 8)	5½ cwt approx.	30¾"	C♯	1813	Thomas Mears II	Never	Destroyed 1940
4th (of 8)	6¼ cwt approx.	32¼"	B	1813	Thomas Mears II	Never	Destroyed 1940
5th (of 8)	7¾ cwt approx.	34½"	A	1813	Thomas Mears II	Never	Destroyed 1940
6th (of 8)	9 cwt approx.	36¾"	G♯	1813	Thomas Mears II	Never	Destroyed 1940
7th (of 8)	13½ cwt approx.	43½"	F♯	1813	Thomas Mears II	Never	Destroyed 1940
Tenor (of 8)	19 cwt approx.	48½"	E	1813	Thomas Mears II	Never	Destroyed 1940
Clock Bell	2 cwt approx.	21"		1760	Lester & Pack	Never	Destroyed 1940

Prior to 1813

Bell	Weight	Diameter	Note	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
Treble (of 6)				1659	Unknown		Recast 1813
2nd (of 6)				1659	Unknown		Recast 1813
3rd (of 6)				1659	Unknown		Recast 1813
4th (of 6)				1659	Unknown		Recast 1813
5th (of 6)				1659	Unknown		Recast 1813
Tenor (of 6)				1659	Unknown		Recast 1813

History

	1649	On 4 Jan there was a terrific explosion in Tower Street (which killed 67 people) shook the tower, which at that time had a short spire and contained 5 bells. A decision was taken to rebuild it as it was considered dangerous.
	1659	The new tower was completed. It was designed by Samuel Twin (bricklayer). It was surmounted by a timber, lead covered cupola, being one of the few Cromwellian towers left in the country. It was of deep red brick in 4 stages reaching a height of 80 feet. Following rebuilding, the 5 old bells were recast into 6 and the Sanctus bell was replaced. [1]
	1708	Record of six bells "which chime at 4, 8 and 12 daily". [2]
	1760	The clock bell was cast by Lester & Pack.
	1813	The 6 bells were recast into a ring of 8 by Thomas Mears at a cost of £370 over and above the £653. 12s. 0d that was received for the old bells. [3]
	1814	1st peal in the tower, completed by the Junior Society of Cumberland Youths, which is still recorded on a peal board at the base of the tower. [4]
	1897	The bells were overhauled by Mears & Stainbank and reopened on Sat 18 Sept. [5]
	1904	Church reopened after improvements (£11,000). [6]
c	1935	The bells had not been rung for some years, so Gillett & Johnston installed Ellacombe chiming apparatus.
	1940	The bells were totally destroyed in a bombing raid. After the War, a new spire of copper was erected to the designs of Messrs Seely & Paget - the first original design for a spire in the City for over 200 years.
	1947	The tower was judged to be unfit to carry ringing bells of adequate size, so a chimeThe tower was judged to be unfit to carry ringing bells of adequate size, so a chime of 18 bells was cast by John Taylor. This was done as a gift from Mr J. H. McConnell of "The Montreal Star", Canada. (The term "carillon" cannot be properly ascribed to this collection of bells. According to the World Carillon Federation, the definition of a carillon is fixed as follows: "A carillon is a musical instrument composed of tuned bronze bells which are played from a baton keyboard". Only those carillons having at least 23 bells will be taken into consideration. Instruments built before 1940 and composed of between 15 and 22 bells may be designated as 'historical carillons'. Hence All Hallows has a "chime" rather than a "carillon".)
	1948	The bells were first rung on 19 July as the Queen laid the foundation stone of the east wall.
	1966	A disused bell from St Dunstan-in-the-East was moved to the crypt here.

[1]	[A] Walters Mss. states that according to Marshall’s history of the parish the churchwardens paid £105 in 1659 for "new bells and frames". [B] Strype: The Steeple of Brick was erected and built from the Foundation, and a sixth Bell added, and the Church new lay'd with ten Inch Tiles, and beautified at the Cost of the Parishioners, and some others, (as appears in the Register Book) 1659. ([A] Walters Mss, [B] A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, John Strype 1720)
[2]	()
[3]	(Walters Mss)
[4]	[A] "Monday evening the Junior Society of London Cumberland Youths ascended the west-end brick tower of Barking Church, Tower-street, London, and rang a complete maiden peal on the new bells, in Mr. John Holt’s ten-course method, on [sic] grandsire tripples, containing 5040 musical changes, conducted by Mr. John Noonan, which was brought round in three hours and eight minutes. Weight of the tenor, 19 cwt. in the key of F. " [B] "On Monday evening last, the Junior Society of London Cumberland Youths ascended the west end brick Tower of Barking Church, in Tower-street, London, and rung a complete maiden peal on the new bells, in Mr. JOHN HOLT’S ten course methods, on grandsire triples, containing 5,040 musical changes, and conducted by Mr. JOHN NOONAN, which was most ably brought round in three hours and eight minutes." ([A] Morning Chronicle, Wed. 30 March 1814, [B] Morning Post, Sat. 2 April 1814)
[5]	"The bells of All Hallows Barking, Great Tower Street, E.C., have been overhauled by Messrs. Mears & Stainbank, and were reopened by the local ringers on Saturday, September 18th." (Church Bells 24 September 1897 pg 896)
[6]	(Church of England Year Book, 1 Nov 1904)

Articles

"The Collegiate Church of All Hallows, Berkyngchirche-by-the-Tower", Cawley, David L (The Ringing World) 10 December 1971

"The Lost Bells of London (7) Other City Churches", Cook, William T (The Ringing World) 2 March 1973

The church prior to the War

How the church looked prior to the bombing raid of 1940. Photo: DLC collection	Photo: DLC collection	This is an engraving from 1705. Photo: DLC collection
Photo: DLC collection

The ruined church

Following the bombing raid of 1940, the church was rebuilt.
Photo: DLC collection

Photo: DLC collection

The belfry

Bell 17. Photo: Dickon Love, 2010	Photo: Dickon Love, 2010	Photo: Dickon Love, 2010
Photo: Dickon Love, 2010	Photo: Dickon Love, 2010	Michael Royalton-Kisch demonstrating the console. Photo: Dickon Love, 2010
A disused ship's bell at the base of the tower. Photo: Dickon Love, 2010